By the time hurricanes reach me, they are usually remnants of tropical storms dragging a lot of rain with them.

That doesn't mean I've never been caught in a hurricane. I was no more than a few days old when a storm that started in Wisconsin, dropped down to North Carolina and then came barreling back up the coast to Connecticut, dumping record snow west and heavy rain along the coast.

Record winds exceeding 100 miles an hour knocked the steeple off our church and the TV antenna off our roof.

I slept through it.

In September 1982, my wife and I were taking a cruise to the Bahamas when the ship turned back to Bermuda as a hurricane approached. The hurricane then headed toward Bermuda. Making its escape, the ship passed through a piece of the storm during the night.

I slept through it. My wife told me.

This hurricane season has the potential to be worse than last year, getting off as its has to a deadly and costly start.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is so concerned that it is urging that homeowners in flood-prone areas immediately look into obtaining low-cost flood insurance to help keep personal loss to a minimum.

FEMA also reminds homeowners that the insurance won't take effect for 30 days, meaning that you can't wait till hurricane warnings are issued and then expect to be covered.

Home centers such as Home Depot have been offering hurricane preparedness clinics along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.

The federal Department of Homeland Security is in charge of hurricane preparedness. One thing the department suggests you do right now is learn where the nearest shelters are to your house and what routes to follow if an evacuation is ordered.

If you watch TV coverage of hurricanes, you realize that there is seemingly endless coverage of the storm's impending arrival and little -- other than panoramic shots of damage and sticking cameras and microphones into the faces of shocked survivors.

So what do you do after the storm has passed?

1. First, stay tuned to local radio for information. Help injured or trapped persons, and provide first aid wherever it is appropriate.

2. Do not move seriously injured persons unless they are in immediate danger of further injury. Call for help (cell phones are a blessing).

3. Return home only after authorities advise that it is safe to do so.

4. Avoid loose or dangling power lines and report them immediately to the power company, police, or fire department.

5. Enter your home with caution. Beware of snakes, insects and animals driven to higher ground by flood water.

6. Open windows and doors to ventilate and dry your home. Because it took so long for power to be restored in many areas of Florida last year, the central air conditioning that helps retard the growth of mold in that humid climate was off for days. Mold caused as much damage as high winds and rain.

7. If power is lost, turn off major appliances to reduce power “surge” when electricity is restored. In fact, before you evacuate, unplug appliances and shut off the water valve.

8. When you return, check refrigerated foods for spoilage. This is a no-brainer if the power has been out for days, of course, but you wouldn't believe how many homeowners don't know that.

9. Take pictures of the damage, both to the house and its contents for insurance claims.

10. Drive only if absolutely necessary and avoid flooded roads and washed-out bridges.

11. Use the telephone only for emergency calls.

12. FEMA recommends inspecting utilities after a storm for damage.

13. Check for gas leaks. If you smell gas or hear blowing or hissing noise, open a window and quickly leave the building. Turn off the gas at the outside main valve if you can and call the gas company from a neighbor's home. If you turn off the gas for any reason, it must be turned back on by a professional.

14. Look for electrical system damage. If you see sparks or broken or frayed wires, or if you smell hot insulation, turn off the electricity at the main fuse box or circuit breaker. If you have to step in water to get to the fuse box or circuit breaker, call an electrician first for advice.

15. Check for sewage and water lines damage. If you suspect sewage lines are damaged avoid using the toilets and call a plumber. If water pipes are damaged, contact the water company and avoid the water from the tap. You can obtain safe water by melting ice cubes.

16. One final thought. A lot of people in hurricane-prone areas own gasoline-powered generators to spell them during long outages. Some of these people actually run the generators indoors.

    The result is typically death by carbon-monoxide poisoning.

    Leave the generators out of doors.

Published: July 28, 2005

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Al Heavens writes about real estate and home repair and improvement. He is the author of What No One Ever Tells You About Renovating Your Home: Real-Life Advice For Hassle-free, Cost-Effective Remodeling.